


Shadow lay in the past, just the past

by Jackb



Category: Hulk (2003), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Betty is so good, Crying, Crying Banner, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, emotion, emotional outburst, emotional resolution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 18:07:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16581461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jackb/pseuds/Jackb
Summary: Bruce get an emotional turmoil after a physical outburst against a furniture. (aka he doesn't want to become like his father)





	Shadow lay in the past, just the past

How could he make a mistake so simple and stupid ? What was he ? A beginner ? What a joke ! He was the most advanced on his field right now and he still had made the kind of error in his last calculation that would bring laugh and shame on him from fellow scientists if they saw it. What did he think about at the moment ? How could he not see it before and only when he hit an improbable result. And now he had to correct five hours of calculation he had made earlier based on this error.

The last few hours were good to be thrown away. He was tired, on a short deadline and couldn’t allow himself any delay from errors like that. He had been awake for the last twenty-six hours, had run on mostly coffee all day, he was hungry, his body was sore and he needed to sleep, because his eyes were closing every thirty-second.

 

_No, I finish this first !_

 

No way he let his incompetence get in the way of his advancement. He was going to finish this, he should go faster this time, but it still would take him an hour, and maybe a half more. He sighed and took another sheet of paper, grabbed back his pencil who broke ten seconds after he started writing.

 

It was too much. He threw away the pencil angrily, got up fast and kicked as strongly as he could the wooden cabinet who was at the side of his desk.

 

« Fuck this shit ! » He screamed.

 

Bruce had hit it strongly enough for it to lose his balance a little, nothing fell though, the material at the top only shook, but even if something fell, he wouldn’t have cared.

 

Bruce froze.

 

In the corner of his eye, he saw Betty jump at his outburst. They were sharing the same room to work and so it was normal if she was here, but it was late, he was absorbed into his work and hadn’t realized she was still around.

 

A profound fear and despair invaded his whole body and mind. _What have I done ?_

 

« Geez Bruce, don’t scare me like that. » She laughed with relief while turning toward him. « What happened ? »

 

But Bruce mind was on a frozen loop at the moment and he didn’t register the question, instead he rushed toward her and fell on his knees.

 

« I’m so sorry, I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t want to. I.. I.. You must believe me ! It was not on purpose, I promise. Please forgive me ! Please ! I swear it was an accident ! I’m sorry ! I’m so sorry. » He spurted out. His voice was painful to hear, full of guilt, regret and terror.

« Hey, hey, it’s okay. » She tried. « That’s just a cabinet. »

 

Her hand reached for his face to comfort him, but before she could touch him he grabbed her hand gently, as if it was something fragile and cupped it in his own hands.

 

« You.. You know I will never hurt you right ! I will never ! I promise ! I.. I will never touch you ! You know that right ? I swear.. I ! You know that.. that.. that I will never hurt you, right ? » He stopped and bend his head over their tied hands. His lips softly kissed her skin, asking for forgiveness. If she couldn’t see his face, she could hear his first sob. « I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. » He repeated like a mantra. « I didn’t want to, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. »

 

This had taken disproportionate dimensions, and Bruce pain made her in pain. She hated seeing him like this. With her other hand she reached for his hair and caressed them calmly.

 

« Hey, Bruce ! Everything is okay. It’s all good I promise. »

 

He kissed her hand again.

 

« No, it’s not ! » His voice was breaking. « I scared you, I’ve been violent ! It’s not okay ! Please ! What.. What can I do to deserve your pardon ? Please tell me ! I would do anything. Please forgive me, I’m so sorry, I’m sorry.. »

« You’ve been violent to a cabinet Bruce, you just surprised me, because I was absorbed in my work and didn’t hear you get up. That’s all. It’s okay. »

 

He shook his head. « No, it’s not. How.. How can you trust me now ? » If the situation hadn’t been so critical she would have laughed, because really, it was nothing, just a kick in a furniture, she had done worse out of anger, Bruce had seen her do worse out of anger. His reaction was disproportional. « Do you want me to go away ? Do you want me to leave ? I can leave and you will never have to see me again, I.. I promise ! » He said between sobs.

« Don’t be silly, I don’t want you to leave. Don’t you dare leave, okay ? » But he didn’t answer. « Hey look at me. » She tried to force him to raise his head, but he stayed stubbornly bend on himself, his hands still holding preciously her hand. « Look at me Bruce, come on ! »

 

After some effort, she finally managed to get his head up. She cautiously stocked his temples in a reassuring gesture and wore a smile to calm him down. But it didn’t work, at the moment he saw her face he closed his eyes hard and huge tears fell on the trail the others had left. He backed off and let his back press against the desk, his chin and lips trembling. He curled a little on himself and grabbed his hair nervously, tensed. He didn’t open his eyes back, he stayed there, in shame and fear.

This time it was Betty who grabbed one of his hands, she had to be insistent to get it. She stroked his skin in a reassuring manner and he allowed it. Betty absolutely hated seeing him like this.

 

« Bruce. » She started gently. « You’re not your father. »

 

The words made him break a little more. Bigger sobs and tears, if his lasting hand had freed his hair, it was now clenching at his sweat hard enough for his knuckles to go white, and he moved nervously. She’d hit the point.

 

She kissed his hand. « You’re not him ! You’re not like him ! You won’t become like him ! You’d never hurt me and I know you will never.. »

« You can’t know that ! » He cut harshly, his voice broken.

« I KNOW you will never hurt me ! » She repeated.

 

They barely talked about the subject, she knew what happened to Bruce and his mother but it wasn’t a subject they aborded often. Bruce didn’t like to talk about the subject. Betty actually had the full story by Jen, his cousin. It was how little they talked about it. If often you could see children act as abusively as their parents, it wasn’t the case here. Bruce never shown any abnormal sign of aggressivity. He actually was pretty passive during argument. Often in retreat, arms crossed, and she was the one slamming doors.

 

His eyes closed hard and he took an uneasy breath.

 

« I trust you Bruce ! And you have the right to be angry and frustrated at things. » He shook his head. « Yes, you have the right. » She reaffirmed.

 

She got down on the floor with him and closed the space between them.

 

« What happened ? Is this something I can help you with ? »

He took a good breath and finally opened his eyes, though he avoided looking at her and waved at his desk.

« I’ve made a silly mistake, I have to redo my last five hours and I’m tired. »

 

She took the paper on his desk and quickly let out a little laugh.

 

« Really ? » She turned to him with a smile, it was not mocking.

« I know right. »

« You really need to sleep. »

 

She came back close to him, cupped his face in her hands and gave him a lot of little kiss on his lips, cheek and temple. He didn’t answer back, instead he closed his eyes again and more tears fell. Like he was in terrible pain. Even when she hugged him he barely answered the gesture, feeling unworthy of it, still too much on the edge.

 

« Everything is okay Bruce. »

« I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. » He came back on it. Repeating it over and over.

« Look at me, please. » Again it took a huge amount of time until he complied, his eyes now open, watching Betty like it was the most important thing in the world, and well, for Bruce it was. They were full of adoration, confusion and terror, a strange mix that held so much. « Good. » She said in encouragement for his effort. « Did you ever hurt me ? »

 

His whole body and face tensed, full of fright.

 

« Did I ? » He asked in a hurry, on the edge of breaking a second time. Betty frown, it was not what she had planned for a reaction.

« Of course not ! That’s the point. You’ve never hurt me. And I’m not afraid that you will ever do it in a day, in a year, a decade, a century. »

« You shouldn’t think that what if I.. »

« You won’t. »

« But what.. »

« You won’t. » Her voice held so much certainty. It was disturbing and scary. It asked Bruce some time to process it and she gave him this time.

 

He laid his head on her chest, looking down to nowhere, and she seizes the opportunity to kiss his head, giving him some soft caress as his body relaxed a little. When he finally raised his head again he caught her stare.

 

« You’re everything to me ! And I love you. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. »

« Shh. »

 

He raised his hand to touch her face, but he was shaking and barely dared to touch her. So she guided his hand closer and kissed his palm. His touch was so thin and delicate.

 

« Can I.. Can I.. Can.. I want.. Can I kiss you ? » He asked with a little voice.

« I would like it. » She smiled.

 

The kiss was tender and subtle. He still barely touched her, like she was fragile compared to him, to what his hands could do to her. And he knew she was not frail, on the contrary, but he felt like a dangerous monster that need to be extra careful and he couldn’t help it.

She laid her forehead against his.

 

« What do you want to do ? » She asked. « Do you want to continue to work ? Or should we go grab something to eat and go home to sleep ? »

« You..Your work ? » He asked, still uneasy.

« I can finish tomorrow, it’s not a problem. I don’t know you but I’m starving, and you’re exhausted, I think it would be better if we go home, but if you want to stay to work I stay with you. »

« No, home is good. »

« Good. »

 

She kissed him one last time before getting up to grab her coat and stuff. Now Bruce felt kinda ridiculous. He got back on his feet and wiped away the rest of the tears on his face.

 

« I’m sorry. » He said softly.

« That’s okay. »

« No, I’m sorry, I was ridiculous. »

« You were not. » She stopped what she was doing to come in front of him. He still felt so low. « Your emotions, no matter what they are, are valid, if you feel something you have the right to express it and you’re not ridiculous for doing so. »

« Wasn’t it.. Exaggerated ? » He asked, still unsure and kind of ashamed, now that it was a little better.

« No ! Your feeling will never be an exaggeration. What you feel is not an exaggeration. If it’s real for you, then it’s real and you have the right to express it, no matter if it feels too much. It’s not, it never will. Your feeling, no matter how strong they are, are valid and you are not ridiculous for expressing them. Never ! »

« Okay. »

« Bruce. »

« Hm ? »

« I love you. »

 

It pulled a smile on his face.

 

« And I want you to remember that I completely trust you. You’re not the bastard your father was. »

« But what if.. »

« What if ! What if ! You are you, and I know you. You’re not him, you won’t become like him. »

 

She could sense he was still believing it.

 

« Now, you just surprised me. It’s nothing more. »

« Betty.. »

« No ! »

« I should not express my anger physically even on the object, it’s only the path to more physical violence. »

« I said no ! I’ve met a good amount of violent men, you’re not one of them. »

« Betty.. »

« No ! If you don’t have faith in you, have faith in me. Trust me ! If I ever feel in danger I will tell you, if you ever become abusive I will stop you. »

« No ! What.. What if I.. I.. » He stopped, her confidence made him stop talking.

 

He knew. He knew she would stop him. She would be strong enough for it. No matter what it takes ! He was convinced by it. If he ever snapped, if he ever became like _him_. She would put an end to it, no matter what happened.

 

« You promise ? » He asked softly.

« I promise. »

 

He cupped her face and kissed her. Gently, tenderly. She smiled.

 

« Thank you and I’m sorry. »

« You don’t have to be. Also when we will be less pressed by the time, what about he got to that little cottage in the woods ? Get some time just you and me. »

« I would love that. »

 

**End.**

 


End file.
